What is the best Christian homeschool curriculum?

What is the best Christian homeschool curriculum?

What is the best Christian homeschool curriculum? This is a good question, and one that I asked myself when I began homeschooling twenty-plus years ago as well. Of course, opinions vary. Just as if I were to ask what the best book, movie, or kind of cake was, answers are opinions. In my opinion, Heart of Dakota is the best Christian homeschool curriculum. But for me to say it is the best for every family? Well, that seems prideful, all-knowing, and… a little un-Christian.

So, as “What is the best Christian homeschool curriculum?” is one of the most common questions those interested in homeschooling are searching for on the Internet, this post is to help you find which Christian homeschool curriculum is best for YOU and YOUR family.

Here are some guidelines as you pray about which curriculum will best fit your homeschool needs!

The best Christian homeschool curriculum saves Christ a seat, and it’s not on the sidelines.

The word “Christian” has “Christ” in it, so for a curriculum to be Christ-centered, He needs to be front and center; He should not just be on the sidelines. So, how can you tell if a homeschool curriculum that says its Christian is actually, well, Christian?

Take a look at the first week of plans if the author/publisher has provided it online. How much of your child’s day will include the Bible and Scripture? How many subjects include Christian references, applications, and discussions? Is Christ a part of most the day somehow, as much as possible? Or, is He on the sidelines, with “Bible” being just a portion of the curriculum that you can easily drop? Is Bible one individual part that is sold completely separately? Does the curriculum carry a secular and a Christian version? Does the author/publisher clearly say they are Christian believers themselves, or is there no reference to this at all?

If you want a Christian curriculum, take the time to be sure Christ is a real part of it.

Christian homeschool curriculum should require children to take their Bibles to ‘school.’

If we want our children’s homeschool day to be Christian, they need to use their Bibles. Children should feel personally attached to God’s Word, and they should also be confident they have a Bible or family Bible they know how to use. When they are not sure about something, they should learn to turn first to God’s Word.

The best Christian homeschool curriculum should have ample Scripture references and lessons within various subjects (not just Bible) connected to children’s own Bibles. The curriculum’s plans themselves should point children directly to Scripture, and there should be ample times parents are invited to share their own personal Christian beliefs with their children within the homeschool day’s plans themselves.

So, take a look at the plans. Do children need to take their Bibles to ‘school’ and use them often in meaningful, life-impacting ways?

Christian homeschool curriculum should use good books and provide good discussions linked to the Bible.

If we want our children’s homeschooling to be Christian, they should be reading good books. Different Christian families will have different thoughts about what constitutes a good book. Some families, for example, may go to the extreme of wanting their children to only read the Bible. Other families, for example, may go to the other extreme of wanting their children to read, well, almost anything shocking or worldly with the thought it’s best to discuss these topics first as a family.

No matter what your thought is on the matter, age is an important factor when considering what is a good book. Young children need ample time to firm up their Christian foundation. They need not be confused by deeply studying pagan mythology or other religions at a young age.

However, as children mature, so do their books. Book characters make more difficult choices. They are in more challenging situations, and they are not perfect. As we are all sinners in need of our Savior Jesus Christ, characters such as these and even history figures such as these provide excellent discussions for parents to have with their children.

The best Christian homeschool curriculum will help guide you with these discussions and will provide Scripture references for you to use as the basis of your discussions. Above all, anti-Christian behaviors should not be celebrated nor glorified in books. Christ is to be glorified!

So, take a look at the books. Book selections speak volumes.

The best homeschool Christian curriculum needs to be doable.

This seems simple, but it’s not. As you look at which Christian curriculum is best for you, ask yourself if you can really do it! Do you have to study the plans at night? Prep all weekend to teach next week? Go to the library and comb through the shelves to find your own ‘good’ books? Go to the store to buy odd supplies? Add a bunch of things yourself to make a curriculum ‘complete’? The best curriculum is the one that gets done.

So, as you look at a curriculum, really see if it is doable.

The best homeschool Christian curriculum intends for you to be the teacher in your own home.

This also seems simple, but again, it’s not. As you look at which Christian curriculum is best of you, ask yourself if you are really going to be the teacher, and if you are really going to be able to teach the curriculum yourself within your own home? I am not saying curriculum that has other teachers doing the teaching is not Christian. But in the nature of ‘home’ schooling, and with the thought that parents are their own children’s best teachers, you being able to teach your children yourself in your own home is pretty important.

So, how easy are the plans to follow? Do you know what you are supposed to do and what the child is supposed to do? As your children grow older, are the plans easy for them to follow more independently? If you have questions, do you have contact information to call/email/FB/etc. directly for help? If you do reach out, will you actually get a person who has used the curriculum themselves who is happy to help you in the day-to-day of homeschooling? Support, both in the guide and from the curriculum companies themselves, is pretty vital to equip you to teach your children yourself in your own home.

So, take a look at the plans. Can you teach them yourself in your own home to your own children?

The best homeschool Christian curriculum should be academically strong, as well as being Christ-centered.

Part of our job as homeschool parents is to make sure we equip our children for life after homeschooling. As our children’s only teachers, that responsibility falls squarely on our shoulders. We want our children to grow up to be the best representations of Christ as they go forth into the world. And Christ was pretty smart. You should not have to sacrifice an academically strong education to have a Christ-centered education. You can have both, and your children deserve both.

So, take a close look at the curriculum. Is it academically strong as well as being Christ-centered?

So, why do I think Heart of Dakota is the best Christian homeschool curriculum for my family?

So, why do I think Heart of Dakota is the best homeschool curriculum for my family? Christ is the center; He is not on the sidelines. He is a real, meaningful part of virtually all school subjects. My children take their Bibles to ‘school’ every day. They love them, they use them, and they look to God’s Word for answers. They have Bible Studies and devotionals and discussions with me across all subjects, and they know I love the Lord too. Each day, they start their day with their own personal Bible quiet time. Heart of Dakota has cultivated that habit.

They have read and discussed excellent books, all with connections to Scripture. In fact, even my graduated-college and in-college sons still love to read good books. They can pick them themselves now. They know what to look for. I have successfully used Heart of Dakota from preschool to twelfth grade. I have not and still do not prep or plan ahead of time. It is doable, open-and-go, and easy-to-use. My older children can use the guides for independent subjects just as easily themselves.

Heart of Dakota is academically strong, as well as being Christ-centered. Heart of Dakota’s author has her Masters Degree in Education and 30+ years of teaching in the public and homeschool settings, and it shows. My sons have gone on to college and been able to CLEP out of so many courses. My oldest graduated college with honors, my middle college-aged son has a 4.0 grade point average. Our youngest scores high on standardized testing.

I have been my sons only teacher, and I have never had to leave my home to homeschool them. If I need help, Heart of Dakota is there. In fact, if you need help, I’ll be there, as I am one of Heart of Dakota’s family members. Heart of Dakota is family-owned, family-operated, and everyone you talk to or correspond with has either written, taught, or used the curriculum. My sister and Heart of Dakota’s author, Carrie, and my brother-in-law and Heart of Dakota’s owner, Mike, love the Lord with all their hearts. You can see that in their guides, on their website, and in their interactions with homeschool families.

So, there you have my opinion for why I think Heart of Dakota is the best Christian homeschool curriculum for my family!

So, how do you find the best Christian homeschool curriculum? 

You do your homework. Plain and simple. The point of this blog post is not to say one Christian homeschool curriculum is best for every single family. My point is to give you some guidelines to consider as you ponder and pray about which Christian homeschool curriculum is best for YOU. Praise God, there are many to choose from!

I pray you find just the right fit for you and your family! Homeschooling our children in a Christian way is a God-given purpose. May the Lord be glorified in your homeschooling, and may your children know Him and His Word personally – always!

In Christ

Julie